Ashtray



P. LARACINE Jan. 17, 1939.

ASHTRAY Filed Dec. 18, 1957 22 Imam l- L'inll INVENTOR PIERRE LfiRfiC/NE- ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 17, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ASHTRAY Pierre Laracine, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada My invention relates to improvements in ash trays, the objects of which are to provide a boxlike structure surmounted by a grille which is adapted to support cigarettes or cigars and to pass their ash into the boxlike structure; to provide means for easy cleaning of the grille and for the easy removal of the ash and cleansing of the structure. A further object is to provide an ash tray which can be upset to an angleof substantially ninety degrees without spilling its contents.

The invention consists essentially of a box like structure having a grille for supporting cigarettes and the like and for passing the ashes accumulating thereon and means for cleaning the ashes and discharging cigarette and cigar butts into the boxlike structure, as will be more fully described in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a modification.

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of a further modification.

In the drawing like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

The numeral I indicates a tray or box having side walls 2, an end wall 3 and a front wall 4. Some of the walls are surmounted with an outwardly turned rim 5 which is preferably serrated as at 6 in the usual way to support a cigarette or cigar and prevent it from rolling.

The front wall 4 is provided with a transverse slot 1 through which a grille 8 is endwise movable. The grille is provided with longitudinal slots 9 and longitudinal marginal edges 10, which latter are of substantial width, to serve as wall portions and prevent the discharge of ashes from the tray in the event of its turning onto one of its side, The grille is preferably somewhat shorter than the length of the tray to afford an opening ll as indicated between the end wall 3 and the dotted line I2 for cigarette butts to be dropped.

The upper edge of the slot 1 is provided with depending teeth I3 which pass through the slots 9 in the grille 8, so that when the grille is drawn outwardly said teeth cooperate with the end portion of the rim 5 to sweep cigarette butts and ashes off the grille into the tray. The teeth I3 also serve to prevent the grille from being wholly withdrawn from the tray.

In the modification shown in Figure 2, the box indicated by the numeral !4 is provided with an ash drawer i5 having side walls 56, an end wall I] and a front wall 18, which latter is suitably provided with a grip Hi. The top of the box is provided with a fixed grille 20 terminating short of the front to define a transverse gap 2|, and the rear wall of the drawer i5 is provided with vertical teeth 22 projecting through the grille, so that when the drawer is pulled outward- 1y to its normal limit, any material lying on the grille will be moved to the gap 2| and drop into the drawer. The drawer side walls it are notched as at 23 to permit the drawer to be tilted upwards when the teeth 22 come into engagement with the front end of the grille, so that the drawer may be entirely removed from the box.

In the modification shown in Figure 3, the drawer indicated by the numeral 24 is provided with a grille 25 extending from the front wall 26 to a point adjacent the rear wall El of the drawer, where it is supported upon a transverse member 28 extending between the walls 29. The walls 29 at a point beyond the grille, the rear wall 21 and the upper edge of the transverse member 28, between the longitudinal members of the grille, are reduced in height as at 39, so as to pass out below the extremities of a plurality of teeth 3! which are formed in the front wall of the box and are in register with the spaces defined between the longitudinal members of the grille 25.

In using the invention as shown in Figure 1, cigarettes are laid upon the grille 8 with their inner extremities resting upon the rim 5, or on the grille alone. From time to time the grille B may be withdrawn to drop cigarette butts and any supported ash into the tray. The grille is also withdrawn to empty the contents from the tray and clean it. When the grille is in its innermost position, unwanted cigarettes or other material may be dropped into the opening 1 1.

To drop material held upon the grille of the modification in Figure 2, the drawer I5 is withdrawn until the teeth 22 reach the front end of the grille, thus wiping the unwanted material into the gap 2|.

To remove the drawer from the box, it is then only necessary to tilt the drawer upwardly at its forward end, when the lower end of its rear wall will be free to move downwardly below the front end of the bottom wall of the box and permit the teeth 22 to be disengaged from the grille.

The drawer in the modification shown in Figure 3 may be partially withdrawn to wipe ma-- terial from the surface of the grille into said drawer, or be drawn straight out to separate it from the box.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. An ash tray comprising a box having a top means for moving material accumulated upon the grille into the drawer.

3. An ash tray comprising a box having a top opening, a slidable drawer within the box, a

grille partially covering the top opening and movable with the drawer, and a plurality of teeth no-rmally projecting into the interspaces of the grille, said teeth cooperating to move material accumulated upon the grille into the drawer as said drawer is pulled outwardly from the box.

4. An ash tray comprising a box having a top and an end opening, a drawer slidable within the box and extensible through the end opening, said drawer being partially covered with a grille and having a gap between the end of the grille and the inner end wall of the drawer, said box being provided with a plurality ofteeth adjacent its end opening normally projecting through the interspaces of the grille and said drawer having its side walls cut away to facilitate removal of the drawer from the box.

. PIERRE LARACINE. 

